The present invention is directed to a system for managing software licenses by limiting the number of computers permitted to run a program to the number of licenses granted, limiting the grant of a license to a predetermined time period and permitting licenses to be transferred from one computer to another.
Conventionally, a company with a multi-user computer network seeks licenses from software vendors to run a number of desired software application programs. Since it is normally not necessary to be able to run an application program on all or most of the computers on a networked system, the number of licenses which are purchased is significantly less than the total number of computers in the networked system. The company would determine which computer would receive each license which has been purchased to run any particular application program. The programs which have been licensed for a particular computer are loaded into that computer for use. The programs which are loaded are copy protected so that they cannot be replicated onto an unlicensed machine.
This conventional system of licensing creates problems for the individual users. An individual user on a computer only has access to the programs which have been licensed to that particular computer. Times will arise when the individual will need to search out another computer that has available a program which the user wishes to run.
This prior art system also creates difficulties when loading software into the computers of a customer. First of all, the programs must be copy protected. Secondly in loading the programs onto the computers, precautions must be taken to prevent unlicensed program from being loaded. One method presently used involves providing a custom made tape for each customer. Only those programs which have been licensed to the customer are recorded on the tape. Each program is copy protected. In addition, gaps are placed throughout the tape in a coded manner such that the tape cannot be read by an ordinary tape reader. A proprietary tape reader of the software vendor is used to read the programs from the specially made tape. A table at the end of the tape gives the license information as to how many licenses have been purchased for each application program on the tape. In loading programs from such a tape, the proprietary tape reader must shuttle back and forth between the table and the programs to make sure there is a license remaining before loading an application program.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a license management system which flexibly permits a user at a computer to access any program which has been licensed to the network so long as that program is run on no more computers on the network than the number of licenses which have been purchased for that program.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a license management system in which individual application programs cannot be run unless they are licensed, thus eliminating the need to copy protect the programs.